Smile

Check out these love notes from Lululemon! They got me in the holiday spirit!

Gift Guide #3: For the Foodie

Vosges Chocolate Bar Gift Set ($99). My favorite chocolate in the entire world. The flavors are so unique and some may not sound that appealing (curry) but every single one is delicious!

Black Truffle Oil ($35) = Happiness. Enough said.

Anthropologie Mille-Feuille Apron ($38). Almost too cute to just wear in the kitchen!

Cuisinart Compact Juice Extractor ($99.95) for veggies and fruit! For a yummy and healthy drink.

Molcajete from Williams-Sonoma ($49.95). We bought one several years ago and I am so happy that we did! It's amazing and we use it all of the time!

Gift Guide #2: For the Beauty Fanatic

Kate Spades' Le Pavillion Large Natalie ($148) would be perfect for holding all of her makeup and would make applying makeup in public slightly less embarrassing. 

Nars' multi-purpose stick ($39, shown here in "orgasm") blends seamlessly into cheeks, eyes, and lips giving her an all over glow. 

Not only does this shower gel smell amazingly, but every purchase also donates money to whyhunger $20.00.

With 200+ full-color photos and step-by-step instructions for applying makeup in less than 10 minutes, this book ($32) is perfect for any busy and put-together woman.

Rosebud Salve ($6) can be used on dry hands, lips, and can calm irritated skin and minor burns. In other words, there is nothing that this magical salve cannot do.

Just in time for New Years Eve, West End Wonderland Nail Lacquer ($14) by butter would be a perfect complement to her LBD!

Gift Guide #1: For the Fitness Guru

P90X Workout videos. For when it is too cold to leave the comfort of  your home

Up by Jawbone, $129.99. To track her workouts and sleep habits.

Lululemon Run:Swiftly Tech Long Sleeve $68. Fitted where it should be, loose where you want it to be, warm, anti-odour properties, moisture wicking, and thumbholes! What more could you ask for?

Funky sneakers like these ($145) to brighten up her workout! PSA~ as the daughter of a sneaker designer I feel it necessary to remind everyone that you should be running in sneakers that are fit for you by a professional. You're welcome Dad!

Speedo Aquabeat 2.0 Waterproof MP3 Player $119.99 . Perfect for those of us who prefer hitting the pool rather than the treadmill but don't want to sacrifice their tunes!

Or get her a gift card to YouBar (prices vary). She picks the ingredients, names the bar, and enjoys it! Perfect for anyone who only wants the best ingredients in what they are eating.

2012 Holiday Gift Guide

Via Tumblr

It's hard to believe that the holiday season is already here! Although it may be a very stressful time of year for everyone with traveling, final exams, family, cooking, and holiday shopping, it is important to remember that these things are what make the holidays fun. Finishing your exams, taking the red eye to see family you love, and planning a party (stressful in the beginning but so worth it) are the best things this time of year. With that in mind, today is the official launch of the 2012 Holiday Gift Guide! To help inspire you to find the best items for every single person you love. Here's to a season of love, relaxation, and cookies (it is the holidays after all)! Happy Holidays!

Bestowed

It can sometimes be very frustrating and time consuming to find healthy and yummy snacks, but thankfully I have found a solution, Bestowed! Each month nutritionist, Heather Bauer, hand-picks 5+ tasty snacks to send out to Bestowed members. They were kind enough to send me the October box to sample!

The box contained amazing products from Justin's, Svelte, Enjoy life, Reboot, Trader Joe's, Amy's,  and Fruit bliss. My absolute favorite goodie in the box was the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter! It is amazing! Full of spices and zero fat. I'm still trying to come up with yummy ways to use the pumpkin butter but have so far used it on homemade scones and am going to try to use it in a yummy fall recipe! I would definitely recommend becoming a Bestowed member as I plan to!!

Angie's Popcorn Giveaway

One of my absolute favorite snacks is popcorn. Over the years I have tried many different brands but have finally discovered the best popcorn on earth. The amazing people at Angie's Popcorn were nice enough to send me a bag of every single one of their popcorn flavors to try! Each one of the 6 flavors (Sweet & Salty, White Cheddar, Salted Caramel, Sweet & Spicy, Sea Salt, and Slightly Sweet) were delicious but my absolute favorite was the Slightly Sweet. Both the Sea Salt popcorn and the Slightly Sweet popcorn are flavors from their Boom Chicka Pop brand. Along with having a super cool name the Boom Chicka Pop popcorns have only four ingredients, popcorn, fair trade organic evaporated cane juice, sunflower oil, and sea salt. AND both flavors are only 35 calories per cup! So much deliciousness with absolutely zero snacking guilt!! Can you say YES PLEASE?

Angie's Popcorn is also kindly offering one lucky reader a box full of bags of every single one of their flavors!! 

For a chance to win please leave a comment (with your email address) telling me what flavor you would look forward to the most! 

For extra entries: 

1) Tweet at me

2) Follow me on pinterest

3) Follow me on bloglovin'

I will be picking a lucky winner next Wednesday November 7th. So you have exactly one week to enter!!
Update: Bonnie T. is the lucky winner!

Happy Halloween

In honor of today's festivities I have decided to share with you something that has been making me cry with laughter for the past few days. It's also halloween related so it's a win-win situation! I am proof that you can watch this videos several times an hour and still find it hilarious. 

Happy Halloween!

How to Survive a Hurricane

With Hurricane Sandy quickly approaching the East Coast I thought it would be helpful to go over some hurricane survival tips.

#1 ~ Entertain Yourself

While I still have power I plan on catching up on all of my favorite shows, Big Bang Theory is on the top of my list! Check out my favorite scene. Ever. Sheldon on Valium

And surf the internet for some laughs 

~ This article made me laugh out loud for several hours Tips & Tricks for a Winter Body

~ Read Life's Perfect Moments

~ Start planning next year's Halloween costume because you left this year's for the last minute... as always Glamour Halloween Costumes

~ When the power finally goes out, I plan on reading all of the trashy magazines that I may or may not have stocked up on... Just noticed that Suri Cruise has a cellphone, why am I surprised?

~ And last but not least start planning your summer plans! It's never too early! Plan your dream vacation whether or not it will happen. For me I am continuing to search for an internship,  Ellen Degeneres? Crossing my fingers!

#2 ~ I just realized that entertaining yourself is the most important part...

Head of the Charles

This past weekend was the Head of the Charles (HOCR). HOCR is a big rowing regatta on the Charles River in Boston. We go every year to cheer on the rowers and always stop by the expo to check out the clothes and other fun stuff!

The course on the Charles,  3 miles long and super difficult to steer!

 We also always have to head over to the Concept 2 tent to hold our annual erg competitions and try out any new machines. This year it was the Skierg. It was actually a great full body workout ~ I felt it in my core, arms, and legs and was exhausted after only a few minutes! I will definitely start looking for it at every gym I go to. Luckily our school gym just acquired one,  hopefully I can redeem myself and win the family competition next year!
Check out how it works here:

Love Etc.

I recently watched the heartwarming documentary Love Etc. The movie depicts five different love stories of people living in New York City. The each story is so different from the other and they vary from an elderly couple to a single dad.  I highly recommend the movie, it has won countless awards and is absolutely wonderful! Check out the trailer here:

Metromint

I recently had the opportunity to sample several of the water flavors from Metromint. Metromint is a flavored water company that uses fresh mint in combination with a variety of other natural flavors. All of their gourmet flavors were delicious and refreshing but the two that stood out the most to me were the spearmint and the lemon mint flavors. I would definitely recommend trying Metromint! It was a super easy to stay hydrated because the water was so delicious!
Check out this video of their bottling plant:

(The Metromint water was provided to me free of charge as a product sample)

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

After a few cloudy and cooler days I decided to embrace the signs of fall and make up some yummy soup! I absolutely love the lemon chicken orzo soup from Panera and so I decided to recreate it at home. It was delicious! A perfect light soup to be paired with a salad or a piece of yummy bread for a nice light meal. 

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Ingredients:

8 cups light chicken broth

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 medium celery stalk, diced

1 medium onion

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 cup orzo

Juice of 1 medium lemon

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients except the chicken, orzo, and lemon juice in a 4-quart pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook chicken thoroughly on both sides (about 6 minutes each side). Add chicken to soup.

Cook orzo according to package. Add to soup.

Serve soup with a sliver of lemon.

Nordstrom

              My go-to store for anything from clothes to accessories is Nordstrom. Mainly for two reasons. The first being that I would buy the entire store if I could. Every item tends to be well-made and beautiful but also greatly range in price. The second reason and I believe the more important reason, is their exceptional customer service. Every employee is more than happy to answer any questions you might have or help you find the perfect dress for a special occasion.

              Last September, my sister and I decided to use their complimentary personal stylist service. Our experience was so amazing that we decided to go back again this year. Our stylist was Amy Swartz at Natick Mall. Prior to our appointment we both filled out a questionnaire which had questions asking what our favorite colors and fabrics are, what our sizes are, what is our biggest fashion difficulty, etc. 

             When we arrived for our appointment Amy led us to our dressing room, which was enormous and split into three areas. One for my sister, one for me, and one for shoes and accessories. Both of our rooms had outfits laid out complete with accessories to go as well. The most incredible part of the entire experience was how well Amy was able to interpret our style through just a series of questions. When we walked into the dressing rooms we could easily tell whose room was whose. The outfits were so unique and many of them were pieces that I wouldn't have thought to put together or a trend that I really wanted to try but just wasn't sure how to wear it. We had so much fun shopping with Amy and I don't think I have ever had such a successful and pain free shopping trip! 

              For more information regarding the personal stylist experience check it out on the Nordstrom webpage here. To get in touch with Amy Swartz, email me (info@thelookingglassblog.com) for her email address!

5 Reasons Why I Love Paddle-Boarding

During the summer months, my motivation to exercise always tends to dwindle. The weather is just so nice and instead of sweating it out at the gym, I would much rather be outside by the pool, on a picnic, or road tripping. UNTIL NOW. Here are 5 reasons why I love stand-up paddle boarding:

1) Paddle boarding is a great full body workout. When you really get into it an average woman can burn up to 800 calories per hour. Aside from the great cardiovascular exercise, paddle boarding will also help strengthen muscles. Paddle boarding mostly works your core muscles, but also strengthens your arms, legs, butt, and even feet.

2) Another health plus ~ spending a little time paddle boarding in the sun will up your dose of vitamin D, which boosts the immune system, helps your skin heal, and protects your body against microbes.

3)  The view from the water is gorgeous. Finding a beautiful spot to paddle board is very important! Another great thing about paddle boarding ~ it's a great and fun way to get a workout while on vacation. Going out early in the morning will ensure calm waters and a stunning view.

4) It is super easy to pick up. First off, you only need a few pieces of equipment, a board (I like SUP boards like these), a paddle, and a life jacket (only cool people wear life jackets ~ safety first!). It's also really simple and easy to learn. I may or may not have fallen into the water at least 7 times on my first outing. However, by the second time I was a pro... and only fell in three times...

5) It's fun! I don't think I have had such a blast exercising in such a long time! Going with a group of friends makes it even more fun!

Via Jimmy Lewis

Rosemary Shortbread

After buying many rosemary shortbread cookies, I finally decided to attempt to make my own. I couldn't find a recipe for rosemary shortbread cookies so instead I used the recipe for twice-baked shortbread from this AMAZING recipe book and slightly tweaked it. They were delicious! Very crumbly though so it turned out to be quite difficult to cut them into neat pieces... but that wasn't too upsetting as they were still yummy!

                                                                Rosemary Shortbread
Ingredients:
11 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Instructions:
Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with foil.

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter with sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and mix just until incorporated. Gently mix in the fresh rosemary. Pat and spread the dough evenly in the pan. Let rest for at least 2 hours or overnight (no need to refrigerate).

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Position rack in the lower third of the oven.

Bake the shortbread for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, leaving the oven on. Lightly sprinkle the surface of the shortbread with sugar. Let the shortbread cool for 10 minutes.

Remove the shortbread from the pan, taking care to avoid breaking it. Use a thin sharp knife to cut it into oblong "fingers," wedges, or squares. Place the pieces slightly apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool the shortbread on a rack. May be kept in an airtight container for several weeks.

Fall.

Although it might be a little too early to start thinking about fall, I already am! Fall is my favorite season mostly because I absolutely LOVE fall clothes. Boots, cute jackets, and sweaters make going back to school pretty fun! I have already booked an appointment with a personal shopper at Nordstrom to help me find some additions to my autumn wardrobe. I used their personal shopping service last fall and absolutely loved it! The experience is incredible and I found so many great clothes. I will make sure to take pictures and summarize in great detail this year's experience. Until then here are some outfits that are inspiring my fall wardrobe:

Love these colors and textures! (Via Moved by Grace)

Perfect sweater length to complement the skirt (Via Nordstrom)

The knot at the bottom of the dress is such a great idea! (Via Keelan Told Me To)

Pretty much my fall uniform. I'm in love with tortoise shell watches! (Via Polyvore)

Beautiful outfit (Via Fashion Worship)

Love me some scarves and blazers! (Via Pretty Stuff)

Simplicity plus a gorgeous ring. (Via Polyvore)